Student Essay on Represention of Social Groups in "The Merchant of Venice"

Represention of Social Groups in "The Merchant of Venice"

Summary:   William Shakespeare addresses the differences in social groups in "The Merchant of Venice" by writing about different religions. For example, Shylock is a Jew who hates Christians. A key theme in the play is love and friendship versus greed and mercy versus justice.

William Shakespeare represents different social groups by penning different religions in 'The Merchant of Venice.' Shylock is a Jew and hates Christians, 'O father Abram, what these Christians are, whose own hard dealings teaches them suspect the thoughts of others' . Shakespeare feels some sympathy towards the Jews but he portrays their situation, as a comedy. '... Still have I borne it with a patient shrug for sufferance is the badge of all our tribe' . He believes that Christians treat Jews differently because of their religion. That is one way Shakespeare represents a social group. Shakespeare shows sarcasm to all the social groups that is what makes it a comedy. Portia unusually controls her destiny and helps to control others too. Portia sings a song guiding Bassanio to the right casket, ' Tell me where is fancy bread, or in the heart, or in the head.' Bread and head rhyme with lead this was the decider that helped Bassanio; he considered false appearances in law, religion, war and beauty. Portia also guided unsuitable suitors away from her and the casket; she tells Morocco that he must take his own chance.

Bassanio a Venetian gentleman wishes to regain his fortunes by marrying Portia, a rich heiress who lives in Belmont. Bassanio asks his friend Antonio, The Merchant of Venice, to lend him money, Antonio agrees but all of his money is tied up in his ships trading across the world. Antonio then agrees to use his good name to secure a loan of three thousand ducats. Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, agrees to lend Antonio the money. Nonetheless Shylock sets Antonio one condition that if the money is not paid back in three months, Antonio must forfeit one pound of flesh and it will be cut from wherever Shylock chooses. Meanwhile, Jessica, Shylocks daughter runs away with Lorenzo, a Christian gentleman. Bassanio goes to Belmont and wins Portia by opening the right casket and marries her. Bassanio's friend Gratiano marries Portia's maid, Nerissa. News comes to Shylock that Antonio's ventures have failed and he is brought to trail, who claims a pound of his flesh. Portia and Nerissa, exchange rings with their husbands, who vow never to take the rings off. Bassanio hurries back to Venice to be with Antonio. Portia and Nerissa arrive to defend Antonio disguised as a lawyer and clerk. In court Shylock is defeated by Portia and Nerissa, as the bond that was made did not allow for any blood to be taken, only flesh. Because his action threatened the life of a Venetian, he loses his goods. He is also forced to become a Christian. Portia and Nerissa, still disguised, persuade Bassanio and Gratiano to give them the rings in payment for saving Antonio. Everyone returns to Belmont, where it is learned that Antonio's ships are safe. After a light-hearted argument, the rings are returned back to Bassanio and Gratiano and the play ends on a happy note.

The ultimate dramatic device Shakespeare uses in 'The Merchant of Venice' is in Act I Scene II. Portia's father has died and left her a will, setting out the conditions for her marriage, she can only get married to a wealthy suitor who chooses the right casket of gold, silver or lead. Nerissa explains to Portia that riches will not bring happiness and too much good living will age you, having just enough will make you live longer.

'You would be, sweet madam, if your miseries were in the same abundance as your good fortunes are; and yet for aught I see, they are as sick the surfeit with too much as they that starve with nothing. It is no mean happiness, therefore, to be seated in the mean - superfluity comes sooner by white hairs, but competency lives longer'

Another dramatic device is when Bassanio borrows money from Shylock to visit Portia. Antonio acts as Bassanio's guarantor as he is a merchant and has money tied up in his ships. 'Three thousand ducats for three months, and Antonio bound'

In 'The Merchant of Venice' Shakespeare uses a major theme centering on love and friendship versus greed, and mercy versus justice. The love and friendship shown by Antonio, Bassanio, Portia and Jessica is contrasted with greed of shylock. The central theme of the trail is in the contrast between justice and mercy. Shylock demands justice and spurns mercy but justice is all he finally gets. Portia pleads for justice to be tempered with mercy, in the end all she gives Shylock is justice.

In the 1600's 'The Merchant of Venice' was seen as a comedy; nowadays people believe it is a tragedy. Adolf Hitler used 'The Merchant of Venice' as propaganda in the 1930's - 1940's, he used it for his own good, to persuade the Germans and discriminate the Jews. People also believe it is a tragedy because of Shylock's speech,

'... It will feed my revenge... I am a Jew... Fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a Christian is?'

There are darker aspects, which cast shadows over the happy ending as; Antonio's sadness continued and Jessica was still isolated in Belmont. 'The Merchant of Venice' is based upon Portia's dead father's will and she can not marry until a suitor chooses the right casket, she has know choice in the matter, it was meant to be funny. The Merchant of Venice video produced in 2004 has been greatly altered; it is shown to be a tragedy and there are know signs what so ever of a comedy. There are 5 quotes in the film, which prove this;

'Intolerance of the Jews was a fact of 16th Century life, even in Venice the most powerful and liberal city state in Europe'.

' By law the Jews were forced to live in the old walled foundry or 'Ghetto' area of the city. After sundown the gate wall was locked and guarded by Christians.'

' In the daytime any man leaving the ghetto had to wear a red hat to mark him as a Jew.'

' The Jews were forbidden to own property, so they practiced usury, the lending of money at interest. This was against Christian law'.

'The sophisticated Venetians would turn a blind eye to it but for the religious fanatics, who hated the Jews, it was another matter...'

In the 1600's 'The Merchant of Venice' was formed as a play. As the actors did not have scripts the last lines in an act would be in rhyming couplets to indicate when other actors had to come on.

' Good fortune then, to make me blest - or cursèd'st among men.'

Shakespearian syntax seems unfamiliar to a modern audience, this is because it was written over 400 years ago. Some words are still used regularly, but their meanings have changed. For example 'Naughty' is now used formally to describe bad behavior of a child, but in Elizabethan times it was a much more powerful word, meaning immortal or evil.

The convention in Shakespeare's time was for playwrights to give verse to 'high-born' characters and prose to those of a lower status. Many of the Christians in the play are wealthy and educated, so they speak mainly in verse.

Portia wishes:

' I would be trebled twenty times myself, A thousand times more fair, ten thousand times more rich...'

The high status characters also display their learning in their language. They have been taught about Greece and Rome, so they often refer to the fantastic tales of classical mythology.

Bassanio describes Portia:

' Like a golden fleece, which makes her seat of Belmont colchos' stand, and many Jasons come in quest of her.'

The educated members of Shakespeare's audience were familiar with mythology as they were taught it, they could easily recognize them ad would appreciate the allusion.

Lancelot and Gobbo present the poor. Lancelot's language is usually comic and fast moving, whereas Gobbo refers constantly to his Christian faith.

When certain parts in the play cannot be acted out, Shakespeare uses a letter to get the message across. Antonio writes a letter to Bassanio explaining that all his ships are wrecked. Bassanio would then read it out to the audience a sin the 1600's they would not be able to act out a shipwreck on a small stage this is why Shakespeare created the letter format.